Window coverings such as venetian blinds, pleated shades and cellular shades, use two or more lift cords, and in some installations up to eight lift cords. The lift cords are-connected at one end to the bottom rail and pass upwardly through the shade to the headrail and then lengthwise along the headrail and through a cord lock, with operating cord portions that extend downwardly as a group from the headrail. In order to maintain the bottom rail horizontal when raising and lowering the window covering, it is necessary to equalize movement of the operating cord portions of the lift cords. In some installations, multiple operating cords are tied together in a knot to equalize movement of the operating cord with a cord pull provided to cover the knot. In some other installations, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,967,824 and 5,058,650, the multiple operating cords are connected together by a cord equalizer that firmly grips the operating cords to equalize movement and a cord pull is attached to the operating cords at a location below the cord equalizer. As disclosed in the above patents, the user may grasp the operating cords directly or grasp the tassel fixed to the ends of the operating cords, or grab the cord equalizer to raise and lower the blind.
Problems have been encountered when infants or children play with the operating cords and tassels and introduce some limb or their head and neck between some of the operating cords. When the multiple operating cords are permanently interconnected as by a cord equalizer or a cord tassel, the cords can function as a noose that in some cases has caused injury and even the death of a child.
It has heretofore been proposed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,298 to provide a cord tassel for a window covering having two operating cords, in which the cord tassel consists of two members that are retained on the lower ends of the operating cords and in which the members are detachably connected to each other to enable separation of the lower ends of the two operating cords. Many window covering installations have more than two operating cords and sometimes up to eight operating cords and this markedly complicates the problem of releasably connecting the cords. More particularly, when multiple operating cords are used, the child may become entangled between different operating cords or different groups of the operating cords.
In the co-pending application of Ren Judkins and Nick L. Ross, Ser. No. 08/386,102, filed Feb. 9, 1995, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed a cord connector device having two side members interconnected adjacent lower ends for pivotal movement relative to each other between a closed condition in which upper portions of the side members are in sidewise adjacent relation and an open condition in which upper portions of the side members are laterally spaced apart. The cord connector device has cord retaining means spaced below the upper ends of the side members, and lateral cord abutment means on the upper ends of the side members arranged to form segments of a closed cord abutment loop that is dimensioned to loosely surround the operating cords. The cord retaining means is arranged to hold the ends of the operating cords against lengthwise movement when the side members are closed and the cord abutment loop is provided to actuate the side members to the open condition in response to forces applied by the operating cords in a direction outwardly of the loop.